


now and from now on

by satsuha



Category: MapleStory
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Post-Betrayal, uhhh god i don't know what to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-07-03 21:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15827727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/satsuha/pseuds/satsuha
Summary: When Ark joins the Novans in the battle against Darmoor's army, he sees a side of the "Guardian of the Nova" that even his own people don't know of.





	now and from now on

_“Always keep your eyes on the enemy.”_

 

It was a mantra he stuck to for most of his life; it was practically forced into his head during his days at the military academy. Even after he betrayed the High Flora, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to follow through with the saying. 

 

It didn’t mean to abandon your allies. Rather, it encouraged absolute trust in one another. When he and Alber fought side by side, he never thought to look out for him. When he turned around, he was sure Alber would always be there. 

 

And yet the sight of that bloody suit of armour made him blind to all the specters around him. He ignored the black masses charging towards him and kept his eyes fixed on the figure of that warrior. 

 

“Kaiser!” 

 

“Ark...” For a moment, he looked relieved. Then, as if snapping back to his senses, his eyes turned cold. “I’m fine. Focus on the specters.” 

 

It almost sounded like an order. But Ark had had enough of taking orders. 

 

“No. We’re retreating. You’re in no condition to fight.” 

 

“That’s not true! I can still fi- ugh!” As if his body was disagreeing with his words, he fell to the ground with his hand clasped on a wound on his torso. 

 

“That settles it.”

 

-

 

“That was too dangerous. I know it’s not my place to say this, but you need to rethink how to combat Darmoor’s army. This strategy isn’t going to last.” Was that Ark’s voice? He really does sound like an experienced soldier, saying things like that.

 

“That’s nonsense. Kaiser must have... overexerted himself this time, that’s all. We’ll continue as always.” Cartalion. What a joke. As if he knows how it feels to risk your life on the battlefield. 

 

“Overexerted? He could have died out there! How long are you going to rely on Kaiser’s power to lead this war?”

 

“Silence, outsider. We Novans have our ways, and Kaiser’s role in battle has always been a crucial one. We cannot afford to remove him.” A colder voice: Beldar. How typical of him. 

 

“Are the Novans so weak that you need to rely on a child to win the war? Not even the High Flora would impose such a burden on a-”

 

“That’s enough! One more objection, and we will have no choice but to force you to leave Pantheon. Kaiser will soon awaken.”

 

“...” 

 

Kyle didn’t hear Ark’s voice retort Beldar’s words again, so he guessed the conversation was over with that. He opened his eyes slowly, the familiar sight of the infirmary ceiling filling his vision. As if on queue, he heard the door open and he quickly sat up to see who it was.

 

“Kaiser! Should you be moving around already? Your wound looked severe…”

  
Ark ran up to his bedside and eyed the heavy bandages around Kyle’s torso.

 

“I’m fine. And I’m grateful for what you said back there.”

 

“...You were listening?”

 

“Yeah. But that doesn’t mean I agree with you.”

 

Ark furrowed his eyebrows. Kyle continued to speak.

 

“There’s no way I would be against you helping us out in battling the specters, but I have my own role to fill as well. If I can’t lead the army as their Kaiser, what use am I?”

 

“It’s not like you chose to be Kaiser. There are plenty of other capable Novan warriors, it doesn’t have to be you-”

 

“Don’t treat me like a child!” Kyle clenched his fists  and felt a twinge of pain shooting back into his wound. “If I could quit being Kaiser, I should’ve done it a long time ago! It’s too late now! All because I became Kaiser, I was betrayed by my best friend. Any life I could’ve had as Kyle was gone, just like that. All I have left now... is my duty as Kaiser.”

 

He hung his head low. Whatever Ark was trying to say didn’t even matter anymore. He was just releasing his anger at the wrong person.

 

“I didn’t mean to say you should retreat from the battlefield completely. I’ve seen you in combat. You’re a natural warrior.” Ark’s voice was calm, despite Kyle’s outburst. “I was just trying to say you don’t need to force yourself to lead the way every time. You can fight _alongside_ everyone, not instead of them. Once you overexert yourself too much... it’ll all be over. And it’s true that the Novan army can’t risk losing you.”

 

For a moment, Kyle wished Ark had gotten mad at him or scolded him instead. All of his anger was replaced by guilt, but he had neither the heart nor the courage to apologize.

 

“I don’t want to sound like I know exactly what you’re going through, because this isn’t something that can be compared.” Ark began again. “Being betrayed by someone is never pleasant. Especially if… that person was particularly close to you.”

 

Kyle raised his head. Although he and several Novan council members had interrogated Ark at the border when he first entered Pantheon, he hadn’t disclosed anything specific.

 

“All I can say is that there’s a reason I turned my back on the High Flora. Our beliefs were too different, and I don’t regret my decision. If _he_ feels the same way, there’s nothing more that can be done.”

 

And then Ark went quiet.

 

“...It’s incredible how strong you can be.” Kyle murmured.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You betrayed your people, got turned into a monster, and were thrown into an unfamiliar place all by yourself. But you’re still fighting for what you believe in.”

 

“...You make it sound so easy.” Ark’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “I myself don’t know how I managed.”

 

“But you’re here now.” He paused. “I guess I am, too. Despite all the shit that’s happened, it’s not like I’ve just been blindly following orders.”

 

Leaning back on his hospital bed, Kyle winced a bit as he stretched his torso. When he was reasonably comfortable again, he let out a long sigh.

 

“You know, when I first found out I was going to be the next Kaiser, I was so excited. Obnoxiously excited. I didn’t think about all the hardships that came with it. I didn’t think… it would change so much of my life and the lives of the people around me.

 

“But I don’t think I regret it. I mean if I hadn’t been Kaiser, Beldar would never have let you into Pantheon, for starters. And I wouldn’t even have met you, or the people of the Maple Alliance in the other dimension. I’d be lying if I said this whole Kaiser thing was all bad.”

 

He leaned forward and extended his hand to Ark’s specter arm, which felt warmer than he thought it would be. He could feel Ark flinch slightly as he did, clenching his specter arm into a tight fist. After a few moments, he began to relax his muscles once again.

 

“Can I ask you to watch my back again?”

 

Ark didn’t reply right away. He looked down at at Kyle’s hand, resting upon his own. It was the first time someone had willingly touched his specter arm.

 

Breathing in deeply, he lifted his head and smiled softly.

 

“Of course, Kaiser. No... Kyle.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am with another rarepair fic... this time with Ark and Kyle who, honestly, had so much potential based on their ingame interactions... They meet 3 times!! And Kyle defends/trusts him despite meeting him for the first time... and helps him in Maple World... they had such cute interaction and yet this ship is practically empty cries,, 
> 
> I also really love the fact that they've both been betrayed by someone close to them? Bonding over their ex-boyfriends hah
> 
> Anyway it's 5am because I told my friend I'd finish the fic before I slept so . hope you enjoyed the fic!!


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